Beulah Park and Raceway closing - new track being built. Wise ?

[fire_911medic]

Both Beulah Park and Raceway have had rumors of closing for years (beulah I know rumors circulating for at least 10 years if not longer). The track has fallen into major disrepair. Last time I was there I couldn’t believe how bad it looked. I’ve not been to raceway in at least 20 years it wasn’t great then, can’t comment as to how it looks now. Both are owned by Penn National (which isn’t doing so well itself). River Downs (now belterra racino effective 2014) is going to be majorly upgraded with addition of racino. Thistledowns got an upgrade with racino addition. However, they are at the two extreme ends of the state. River south, Thistle north. Beulah was in the middle and filled a rest of the year slot as thistle and river split the card on same season. They aren’t looking at selling it, they are looking to demolish it and come up with other uses for it. From reading the new track will be near youngstown. I am wondering if it will run a split card season kind of like Hawthorne in Chicago does.

I am believing this is showing the future of racing. Either get a racino and improve facilities and purses, or go under. Racinos helped reopen arlington (riverboat in infield), majorly turned around mountaineer (no more freebies 'cause they couldn’t pay their stabling fees). Fully expect it will help thistle and river significantly. I know it is helping scioto return to it’s former glory.

Does anyone know if penn national is going to be the owner of the new track or is it changing to a new racino format ? Did penn national not have any desire to go with the new format ? If KY is not careful, they will kill their industry to surrounding states. Already seeing that transition as is. Other point of note, will Turfway be able to support itself with the new format of River ? Will they fill in where beulah did as a rotation track for trainers that don’t want to go north, or will the only alternative be go to churchill or north? Sad as it is to say, I think Turfway will be on its way out shortly as well.

[Drvmb1ggl3]

Are people still buying into this “Racino as Savior” bvullsh!t after what happened in Ontario?
Goddsakes, if they do, then they deserve everything they get with the arse falls out of it when gov and casino owners combine to pull the plug (which they will, eventually).

Racing either stands on it’s own two feet or it doesn’t.

[fire_911medic]

Racinos have improved racing quite a bit for some tracks. Mountaineer, Arlington, and I believe will help river downs. Beulah has been a struggling track for years. I do know its trotting companion scioto also in the Columbus area has seen an upswing since. I think it works for some others it doesn’t.

Whatever became of Windsor raceway? I know when I stabled there on my way to Ottawa from ky it was the first racino I had physically been to. I will say in its current state there is little benefitting racing in some states. Will it survive ? I hope so likely case ? Probably not. Sad state it is.

[findeight]

Our local trot track is moving to a site next to the interstate and going Racino, reopening in the spring…anything will be an upgrade over the aging fairgrounds in Lebanon, main barn burned a few winters ago- again. Has to be better.

River Downs floods with regularity, hope they deal with that somehow.

Until Ky allows slots, they will continue to die on the vine. Racinos won’t solve all issues and compete with casinos but they will create some regular income- especially from Kentucky residents driving 30 minutes to play. I don’t see Turfway able to compete long term in the purse department, topic comes up here with regularity- few seem to care and the Ky legislature sure doesn’t.

[spotted_draft_x_fill]

KY won’t allow it because it’s gambling and people will spend their last dime/mortgage payment/rent at the casino…

I’ve seen people blow all of their money on lottery and at the track. One guy at keeneland said to me damn there goes my rent money running dead last.

[spotted_draft_x_fill]

oops double post

[fire_911medic]

They do it already on other forms or they just cross the river. What ever happened to the supposed quarter horse track that would be built in Corbin ? Big hype until about end of march then collapsed. Heard nothing more. Was supposed to be a keeneland joint venture.

[spotted_draft_x_fill]

That’s the first time I ever heard about that. I wish the quarterhorses would come back to the red mile.

[evntr5218]

[QUOTE=fire_911medic;7267072]
They do it already on other forms or they just cross the river. What ever happened to the supposed quarter horse track that would be built in Corbin ? Big hype until about end of march then collapsed. Heard nothing more. Was supposed to be a keeneland joint venture.[/QUOTE]

First time I have heard anything about that too. Must I have missed out on the hype.

[spotted_draft_x_fill]

I asked my husband if he heard about that and he did. Who knows, maybe they scrapped that idea but if they were smart they would put it in westetn ky and not corbin.

[fire_911medic]

That was more my thinking. I could see it being beneficial to add a dirt track to ky downs. In heart of ky qh country there with huge sale yearly in bowling green. Corbin area is mostly walkers. A few qh and Rocky’s (are gaited) but the vast majority London, Corbin, and Williamsburg.

[Texarkana]

[QUOTE=fire_911medic;7267295]
That was more my thinking. I could see it being beneficial to add a dirt track to ky downs. In heart of ky qh country there with huge sale yearly in bowling green. Corbin area is mostly walkers. A few qh and Rocky’s (are gaited) but the vast majority London, Corbin, and Williamsburg.[/QUOTE]

Kentucky Downs is already barely a racetrack, but the staff and administration have done a wonderful job of turning their dinky meet into a desirable boutique meet. While I’d like to see more racing dates there, adding a dirt track would do nothing to help the state’s racing or KY Downs specifically. Additionally, it would be logistically impossible without essentially tearing everything down and rebuilding. I also find it hard to believe QHs would revive racing, as they generate minimal interest at best.

On a side note- how do they allow “slot-like games” at KY Downs and gas stations, etc.? I never understood that concept or how it is any different. Regardless, those slot-like games have truly kept KY Downs in business.

[Angelico]

[QUOTE=Texarkana;7267751]
Kentucky Downs is already barely a racetrack, but the staff and administration have done a wonderful job of turning their dinky meet into a desirable boutique meet. While I’d like to see more racing dates there, adding a dirt track would do nothing to help the state’s racing or KY Downs specifically. Additionally, it would be logistically impossible without essentially tearing everything down and rebuilding. I also find it hard to believe QHs would revive racing, as they generate minimal interest at best. [/QUOTE]

This is not true of QH racing. A QH track on a regular race day will draw 3x the crowd a normal TB track will. The fact that mainstream media doesn’t cover it so much has probably been the industry’s saving grace.

[Texarkana]

[QUOTE=Angelico;7267849]
This is not true of QH racing. A QH track on a regular race day will draw 3x the crowd a normal TB track will. The fact that mainstream media doesn’t cover it so much has probably been the industry’s saving grace.[/QUOTE]

Really? You learn something new every day. I guess my exposure has been limited. I’ve only attended QH races at Retama and Manor, where attendance and handle were both virtually non-existent. I falsely assumed that was par for the course. Kind of like Arabian racing.

[Angelico]

[QUOTE=Texarkana;7267857]
Really? You learn something new every day. I guess my exposure has been limited. I’ve only attended QH races at Retama and Manor, where attendance and handle were both virtually non-existent. I falsely assumed that was par for the course. Kind of like Arabian racing.[/QUOTE]

I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it for myself. I guess I can think up a small number of reasons why it may appeal to the public more. Personally QH racing just doesn’t feel “right” to me, but it does seem to tick along pretty well on its own.

Some possible reasons I brainstormed

• AQHA vs. JC, I would think that the AQHA must do more for the horses, breed, and members as a whole

• Easier to understand, little to no strategy involved

• Generally easier to bet

• Most EVERY QH track is a racino

• Flashier, those QH folks love flash

• Familiarity, most Americans seem far more familiar with the QH’s than any other breed.

• Easier to participate as an owner or even trainer

[danceronice]

Easier to bet? I am TERRIFIED of betting QH races, more so than harness, even, as they’re basically a 400-yard cavalry charge and while logically the fastest horse SHOULD win, one blink at the start and the race is over.

[Drvmb1ggl3]

[QUOTE=Angelico;7267849]
This is not true of QH racing. A QH track on a regular race day will draw 3x the crowd a normal TB track will. The fact that mainstream media doesn’t cover it so much has probably been the industry’s saving grace.[/QUOTE]

Certainly not true for most mainstream tracks that hold both TB and QH racings.

Here are numbers for Lonestar, in QH heavy Texas, a state which has had uninterrupted QH racing for 80 years and only had TB racing for the last 20 odd years.

2013, daily averages…

TB meet

Attendance: ---- 7,325
On-Track, Live Handle: ---- $273,092
Off-Track, Export Handle: ---- $685,396
Live Product/Merge Handle: ---- $958,489

QH meet

Attendance: ---- 3,202
On-Track, Live Handle: ---- $87,548
Off-Track, Export Handle: ---- $267,868
Live Product/Merge Handle: ---- $355,411

At Remington Park in OK, which is one of the premier tracks for QH racing in the country, the average on-track handle for a QH race during the QH meet is about $1000 less per race than for TB races during the TB meet… and that is despite a higher average daily attendance for the QH meet.

So if live QH racing can’t out perform live TB racing in places like TX and OK, it hasn’t a hope in hell in KY.

[fire_911medic]

I always wondered why they pulled the qh racing out of red mile. Wasn’t living in ky when they did so missed the reasoning. Seemed to me like it filled a void in their off season and without too much effort.

[spotted_draft_x_fill]

There wasn’t enough entries. The last time they ran it was a 1 day meet instead of 2.

[fire_911medic]

[QUOTE=spotted draft x filly;7269141]
There wasn’t enough entries. The last time they ran it was a 1 day meet instead of 2.[/QUOTE]

Thanks